Friction shock absorbing means for railway car trucks



Jan. 15, 1957 E. G. FORSSELL 2,777,400

FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 38 6 5 2a 39 I7 37 54 v .2 50 22.

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Jan. 15, 1957 E. G. FORSSELL FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inven'fir:

Eric G'.F0rsseZZ. 4221 United States Patent Ov FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Eric G. Forssell, Kenmore, N. Y., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to improvements in friction shock absorbing means for railway car trucks.

One object of the invention is to provide means for frictionally resisting vertical oscillation of the spring supported truck bolsters of railway cars, including friction shoes carried by the bolster of the truck, slidingly engaging friction surfaces provided on the truck side frame, wherein the friction shoes are forced against the friction surfaces by toggle levers actuated by springs.

A further object of the invention is to provide means of the character indicated in the preceding paragraph, wherein the springs for actuating the toggle levers form a part of the spring structure of the cluster of springs employed to support the truck bolster on the truck side frame. 7

Other object of the invention will more clearly appear fromthe description and claims hereinafter following. 'In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

' Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of a portion of a railway car truck, the section being taken at one of the side frame members, of the truck, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view, partly broken away,

1 of the side frame member illustrated in Figure 1.

'- Figure 6.

' Figure 8 is a plan view of one of a plurality of liners employed on the interior of the bolster for guiding the friction shoes.

Figure 9 is an end elevational view of Figure 8, looking from left to right in said figure.

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of one of the toggle levers of my improved mechanism.

In said drawings, it} indicates one of the side frame members of a railway car truck. The side frame member it is in the form of a casting and has top and bottom, horizontal members 11 and 12 connected by vertically disposed sections 13-13. As is understood by those skilled in this art, a railway car truck includes two such side frame members ill-1t), a truck bolster 14, and the usual two clusters of truck springs at opposite sides of the truck, each cluster, as illustrated, comprising five spring units and each spring unit being composed of an inner coil 15 and an outer coil 16. The springs of each cluster are supported on the bottom member 12 of the corresponding side frame 10 of the truck. The opposite ends of the bolster 14 are guided between the sections 13-13 of the truck side frames and the bolster is supported by the spring clusters comprising the springs 15 and 16. The truck bolster, in turn, supports the body bolster, not shown, of the railway car.

As shown most clearly in Figures 1 and 2, the sections 13-13 of each side frame are inwardly offset at their upper ends and thus provide vertical guide portions 17- 17 at opposite sides of the bolster, between which the bolster is vertically movable, the bolster having vertically extending, laterally spaced ribs 18-18 and 18-18 at opposite sides of each end thereof, embracing said guide portions 17-17.

My improved friction shock absorbing means, as shown in the drawings, comprises broadly a pair 'of friction shoes A-A at each end of the truck bolster mounted at opposite sides thereof, toggle levers 13-13 for actuating the shoes A-A, a follower C supported on the upper end of the central spring unit of the five unit cluster, and swivelled friction blocks D-D mounted on the guide portions 17-17 of each side frame.

In carrying out my invention I provide each side frame of the truck with pockets 19-49 at the bolster guide portions 17-17, each pocket opening inwardly toward the bolster and having a substantially vertically extending concave back wall Ztl, which presents a spherical bearing surface for the friction block D.

The friction blocks DD of each side frame are seated in the pockets 19-19 and have ball or sphericallyshaped bearing faces 21-21 on their rear sides engaging the spherical surfaces of the walls 20-12% of the pockets 19-19. At the sides of the blocks 13-!) which face the bolster 14, the same are provided with detachable wear plates 22-22, which present fiat friction surfaces 23-23 with which the shoes A-A have sliding engagement.

The friction shoes A-A are arranged in pairs at opposite ends of the bolster 14, the shoes of each pair being carried at opposite sides of the bolster. Each shoe A has a flat top face 24 which is slightly inclined and is slidingly engaged with a fiat guide surface 25 on the underneath side of a removable liner 26 attached to the top wall 27 of the bolster at the corresponding side of the latter. At the bottom side, each shoe has a flat guide surface 28 which rides on a guide face 29 on the bottom wall 3i) of the bolster 14. Each shoe A projects through an opening 31 provided in the corresponding side wall of the bolster. Each shoe A includes a wear plate 32 attached thereto, and which slidingly engages the friction surface 23 of the friction block I) at the corresponding side of the side frame lil. On the inner side, each shoe A has a curved bearing seat 33 within which the outer end of the corresponding toggle lever B is engaged. Each wear plate 32 projects beyond the top, bottom, and side edges of the corresponding shoe and has shouldered engagement with the side Wall of the bolster at the opening 31 to limit movement of the shoe laterally inwardly of bolster.

The follower C is in the form of a block and comprises a cylindrical base portion 34 and a square top bearing portion 35 upstanding from said base portion. .The base 'levers B-B.

The toggle levers 3-13 for actuating the shoes A-A comprise relatively thick, platelike members, each plate- 3 like member being of substantially rectangular formation and presenting curved bearing faces 40-40 at opposite ends thereof. At each end of the bolster, the toggle levers B--B are interposed between the corresponding follower C and the shoes AA, the opposite ends of each lever being engaged respectively in the seats 33-33 of the shoes A-A and the opposed bearing seats 39-39 of the follower C. In the normal position of the parts, the toggle levers B--B are in the upwardly inclined position shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that upward displacement of the follower C with respect to the bolster 14 causes the levers to rock toward horizontal position to spread the shoes A-A apart and press the same against the friction surfaces 2323 of the blocks DD of the corresponding side frame 10.

As will be evident, as the bolster 14 moves downwardly to compress the spring cluster, the springs 15 and to of the central unit of the cluster, on which the follower C bears, are also compressed and force the follower up wardly with respect to the bolster and, through the action of the levers BB, spreads the shoes A-A apart against the friction surfaces of the blocks DD of the side frames 10-10, thereby providing progressively increasing high frictional resistance to snub the action of the truck springs.

.l claim:

l. in a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting friction surfaces thereon, the combination with a bolster vertically movable between said guides; the springs supporting said bolster on said truck side frame; friction shoes carried by said bolster; a movable follower within said bolster; and toggle levers between said follower and shoes for spreading the shoes apart against said friction surfaces, said follower being supported on certain of said springs to receive the actuating force therefrom.

2. In a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting frictionsurfaces thereon, the combination with a bolster vertically movable between said guides; of a cluster of springs supporting said bolster on said truck side frame, said cluster including a central spring unit; friction shoes carried by said bolster; a movable follower within said bolster; and toggle levers between said follower and shoes for spreading the shoes apart against said friction surfaces, said follower being supported on said central spring unit to receive the actuating force therefrom.

3. In a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting friction surfaces thereon, the ccmbinationwith a bolster vertically movable between said guides; of a cluster of springs supporting said bolster, said cluster including a centrally located spring unit; friction shoes carried by said bolster at opif posite sides thereof; a follower within said bolster between said shoes; and toggle levers interposed between said shoes and follower for spreading said shoes apart against said friction surfaces, said follower being supported on and actuated by the central spring unit of said cluster.

4. In a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting friction surfaces thereon, the combination with a bolster vertically movable between said guides; of a cluster of springs supportritl bolster, said cluster including a centrally located .piing unit; outwardly movable friction shoes carried by said bolster at opposite sides thereof; a vertically movable follower within said bolster between said shoes; and toggle levers interposed between said shoes and follower for spreading said shoes apart against said friction surfaces, said follower being supported on and actuated by the central spring unit of said cluster.

5. in a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting friction surfaces thereon, the combination with a bolster vertically mov' able between said guides; of friction shoes carried by said bolster at opposite sides thereof, said shoes being mounted for lateral sliding movement in said bolster; a vertically movable follower between said shoes; toggle levers between said follower and shoes, said levers having their opposite ends swivelled on said follower and shoes; and spring means for actuating said follower.

6. In a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting friction surfaces thereon, the combination with a bolster vertically movable between said guides; of spring means supporting said bolster on said truck side frame; friction shoes carried by said bolster; a spring follower; and toggle links each swiveled on said shoes and follower, respectively, and actuated by said spring means through said follower for forcing the shoes against said friction surfaces.

7. In a railway car truck including a truck side frame having vertical bolster guides presenting friction surfaces References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,142,426 Webb Ian. 3, 1939 

